Another Heisman hopeful awaits UF.
GAINESVILLE — It’s hard to find a silver lining in a disappointing loss like the one Florida suffered Saturday.
For the second time this season, the Gators’ defense faced a talented running back whose name has become synonymous with this year’s Heisman Trophy race.
Florida State’s Dalvin Cook came into Saturday’s Sunshine Showdown with a school-record 1,475 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. While an ACC championship and playoff semifinal bid are out of the question this season, the sophomore was clearly having a special season for the Seminoles.
Cook finished with 183 yards, his fourth consecutive game with at least 100 yards on the ground. If there is any consolation for the Gators defense, it would be the fact that most of those yards came in the fourth quarter.
Through the first three quarters, Cook managed just 13 carries — five of those went for zero or negative yards. Compare that to his 13 carries in the final period, during which he rushed for 150 yards and failed to generate positive yardage just twice.
“Things don’t always go as planned,” UF coach Jim McElwain said of his team’s performance. “But our guys played their tails off.
“I mean, we just gave him [Cook] that many opportunities. I mean, our defense is as good as any in the country.”
Redshirt sophomore nose tackle Caleb Brantley agreed with his coach’s assessment of the defensive effort.
“I feel like we did a decent job,” Brantley said, adding that the players didn’t wear down late in the game. “Nah, we good. Just a couple little breakdowns. Like I said, we’ve got to watch film and get better for next week.”
As good as the Gators’ defense has been — ranked sixth in the country in total defense going into its matchup with FSU — the group has struggled containing big-time running backs.
It was back in early October when the Gators traveled to the Bayou to face LSU’s bruising rusher Leonard Fournette. The sophomore finished with 31 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-28 win over then-unbeaten Florida. Fournette was the early front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race before running into the brick wall that was Alabama’s defense two weeks later.
Florida’s next challenge is facing arguably the hottest running back in the country — Alabama’s Derrick Henry.
As Florida’s players were warming up before the start of Saturday’s game, Henry was wrapping up a recordsetting day against Auburn. He carried the ball a schoolrecord 46 times for 271 yards and a touchdown in the Crimson Tide’s 29-13 win over the Tigers.
It was the most carries by a running back in Crimson Tide history (Johnny Musso had 42 against Auburn in 1970). It was also his fourth game this season with at least 200 yards and his performance moved him into first place overall in school history with 1,797 total yards.
Henry’s 25-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter extended his streak of 17 games with at least one rushing touchdown.
He needs 95 yards against the Gators in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game to pass Herschel Walker as the SEC’s top single-season rusher. It’s a very attainable mark for the ’Bama superstar even against a formidable defense like the Gators.
And while it’s easy to get enamored with individual players like Fournette, Cook and Henry, Brantley said the UF defense doesn’t key in on a single player.
“We don’t really focus on one person. We feel like we’re the best defense in the nation,” Brantley said. “We take care of what we can take care of and everything takes care of itself.”